Please Help - Crying Dog - I'm so Tired

kbsaff

kbsaff

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When we bought my 8 month old Lab/ Lurcher Mix, he cried all night everynight. He's shut in kitchen as I don't want him upstairs at night.
Eventually, we changed the kitchen door to a stair gate so that he didn't feel so closed in. This really helped and now he goes to bed perfectly and sleeps through......Until 5 in the morning.
Then he is full of beans and barks, howls and whines until you get up to him. I have tried ignoring him but he just gets louder and then starts chewing things up.
At the moment, the only way I can keep him quiet enough to catch up on some sleep is by giving him a chew to keep him occupied, but even that doesn't keep him quiet for long. I know that giving him a chew is rewarding his bad behaviour, but I am at my wits end and so tired it's the only way I can get some sleep.
Please help me. I am at a total loss and desperate to get him over this.
confused.gif
 
hmmm I like that Idea, but i think that once he'd finished that he would probably get yapping again.
I may try it though as it's not hugely expensive. Thanks!
 
This is why I alwasys crate new dogs first, to get them used to being in a small space before gradually increasing to a bigger space like the kitchen/utility, if he is waking at roughly the same time, it's more than likely due to the break in light, when crated u can cover the crate to black out the light, hence it's still dark to them, also he would not beable to chew, leaving u more comfortable to ignore him as u are not stressing about what he is chewing.

The key is to ignore him, and the treat is indeed rewarding him, as now he gets a treat at said time he wakes the household up.
 
He was in a crate but was absolutely unbearable. I think that was due to us using a cage in the car but he hates the car so associated the cage with the car and never went in it.
 
Yep...u can get them in collar form too.

When I start using a crate, I generally wear the dog out before placing it in the crate, a good run to tire them out, then straight home and in the crate where they sleepas to tired to do anything else, then feed them a meal in there after a few hours of rest, then before they go back in again they get a nice long lasting treat, kong or butchers bone....this way they assosiate the crate with positives, to the point where they actually look forward to going in.
With u having the baby gate u can leave the crate door open for periods, then when u close it always make sure he is eating, tired or chewing on a treat.

The diffuser also help when introducing it back to him.
If not then try a black out blind and radio on low to see if it helps his sleep a little lnger.
 
Make sure that your dog does lots in the day to be really tired.
When my collie was young, my partner and I played loads of games with him every day. The radio works well on low on a relaxing station. Not loud pop music though! I put in the basket / crate an old jumper which I have worn so it has my smell on so they feel not on their own. Good Luck.
 
ok, So i spoke to a Dog Psychiatrist via email yesterday , he suggested that when I hear him cry, go into the kitchen, don't talk to him, and put him straight back to bed then walk out again.
Well, as usual 5:45am I was met by the usual morning song, I went down, didn't say a word, put him back in his bed, gave him a firm "no" when he tried to get out and went back to bed. I didn't hear a peep until i got up to him at half seven!
I am amazed. We'll see how we go tomorrow.
Thanks for all of your comments.
 
I am afraid puppies are like babies and some take longer to get into good routines, I have had 8 puppies recently and have just homed 5, they are hard work and I had a terrier years ago that was a baddy for 4 years, but other dogs I have had have all been different, puppies are exceptionally hard work and you just have to bear with them, they will get better eventually. Its hard when they have so much energy at akward times early morning, middle of the night etc... I can remember my lab getting up at 2am for a play and then waking my other 2 dogs and causing kaos in the house, it only lasted untill she was about 10-11 months though...
 
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